Independence Day Sequel Confirmed, Will Smith Not Returning

And it’s a go for the long-discussed Independence Day sequel, with Twentieth Century Fox giving a green light to the film this week. Production will start in May on the follow-up to the 1996 alien-invasion hit.

Deadline reports that the next step for the studio is to close the directing deal for Roland Emmerich, who of course also helmed ID4. Emmerich’s former producing partner Dean Devlin is also back, but Will Smith will not return for the film, which is slated for a June 24, 2016, release.

Once Emmerich makes his deal, casting will kick in. Additionally, the site reports that there will be just one sequel for now, despite previous talk about shooting a second and third film back to back. Carter Blanchard rewrote Emmerich and Devlin’s script, which also received some work from James Vanderbilt.